1 I am Joel the son of Pethuel.
And this is the message
the Lord gave to me.
Locusts Cover the Land
2 Listen, you leaders
and everyone else
in the land.
Has anything like this
ever happened before?
3 Tell our children!
Let it be told
to our grandchildren
and their children too.
4 Swarm after swarm of locusts
has attacked our crops,
eating everything in sight.
5 Sober up, you drunkards!
Cry long and loud;
your wine supply is gone.
6 A powerful nation
with countless troops
has invaded our land.
They have the teeth and jaws
of powerful lions.
7 Our grapevines and fig trees
are stripped bare;
only naked branches remain.
8 Grieve like a young woman
mourning for the man
she was to marry.
9 Offerings of grain and wine
are no longer brought
to the Lord's temple.
His servants, the priests,
are deep in sorrow.
10 Barren fields mourn;
grain, grapes, and olives
are scorched and shriveled.
11 Mourn for our farms
and our vineyards!
There's no wheat or barley
growing in our fields.
12 Grapevines have dried up
and so has every tree—
figs and pomegranates,
date palms and apples.
All happiness has faded away.
Return to God
13 Mourn, you priests who serve
at the altar of my God.
Spend your days and nights
wearing sackcloth.
Offerings of grain and wine
are no longer brought
to the Lord's temple.
14 Tell the leaders and people
to come together
at the temple.
Order them to go without eating
and to pray sincerely.
15 We are in for trouble!
Soon the Lord All-Powerful
will bring disaster.
16 Our food is already gone;
there's no more celebrating
at the temple of our God.
17 Seeds dry up in the ground;
no harvest is possible.
Our barns are in bad shape,
with no grain
to store in them.
18 Our cattle wander aimlessly,
moaning for lack of pasture,
and sheep are suffering.
19 I cry out to you, Lord.
Grasslands and forests are eaten
by the scorching heat.
20 Wild animals have no water
because of you;
rivers and streams are dry,
and pastures are parched.
1 Nēs ge ǃKhūb di ǂhôas Petueli ôab Joeli ǃoa ge hāsa.
ǁAes ge ǃgaos di hîkākāhes ǂama ra ā
2 Nēsa ǁnâu re sadu kairado,
ǃgâ re sadu ǃhūb di ǁanǂgāsabedu hoado.
Nēti ī xū-e ǀnai ī-i ge hâ i, sadu tsēdi ǃnâs kas,
sadu aboxan di tsēdi ǃnâs kas hoasa?
3 Nē ǃkhaisa sadu ôana mîba,
în ǁîna ǀgôan âna ǁgamba,
în ǁîna sao ra ǃhaosa mîba.
4 ǂGuro ǂhoms di ǂhomn ga ǃgaun,
ǁnānan ge sao ra ǂhomna gere hapu.
Tsî ǁîn ga hapu tama i-i
ǁnā-en ge ǁîna xu ra saona gere hapu.
5 ǃNoaǂkhai sa ǀhorosemâdo, î du ā
sa ǂauxûi ā-aodo ǂauxûib ǂama du ā re,
ǁîb sadu amde xu ūbēhe hâ xuige.
6 ǁAe-i ge ti ǃhūba ge hāǂam,
kaise ǀgaisa tsî ǃgôaheǁoasa ǁae-e.
ǁÎ-i ge xammi ǁgûga ge ūhâ i,
ǀā ǁgûgu xams diga.
7 ǁÎ-i ge sida draibehaina hîkākā
tsî sida ǀnomahaide ge ǂkhôa.
Tsî haidi ǁûga ǂgaeǁnâ tsî ge aoǁgui,
haidi ǁnâugu ge ǃuris kōse.
8 ǃGae re, ǂkhamkhoes hîa ǃgame-aob âs di ǁōb ǂama
ǃoab sarana ana hâs khami.
9 ǂÛǁguibas tsî āǁguibas tsîra
ge ǃKhūb omma xu ūbēhe hâ.
Pristergu, ǃKhūb di ǃgāgu ge ra ǃgae.
10 ǃHanagu ge a ǀkhaiǃnâ;
ǃhūb ge ra ǃoa,
ǃhorob hîkākāhe hâ,
ǀasa ǂauxûib toa hâ
tsî ǀkhera-oli-i a ǀkhai xui-ao.
11 ǃHanaǂgā-aogo ǀūa-ai re,
draibehaiǃhana-aogo ā re,
ǃhorob tsî gerstǃhorob tsîkha ǂama,
ā re, hoaraga ǃgaos hîkākāhe hâ xuige.
12 Draibehaigu ge a ǂnâsa,
ǀnomahaidi ge ǂnâ hâ;
xranathaidi, palmhaidi tsî apelhaidi;
ǃhanab di haidi hoadi ge ǂnâ hâ.
ǃGâiaǂgaob ge khoena xu bē hâ.
13 ǀHaosarana ana î ǃoa re pristergo,
ā re sago altars tawa ra ǃoabago.
ǃOab saran ǃnâ hâǂkhai re,
sago ti Eloba ra ǃoabago,
ǂûǁguibas tsî āǁguibas tsîra
Elob omma xu ūbēhe hâ xuige.
14 ǂÛtama hâsa mîmā;
ǃnâu ǃoabasa ǂgaiǂui.
ǂGaeǂgui-aogu tsî ǃhūb di ǁanǂgāsaben hoana,
ǃKhūb sadu Elob di ommi ǃnâ ǀhaoǀhao,
î du ǃKhūba ǂgaiǀî.
15 Ae, ǁnā ǃaoǃaosa tsēse!
ǃKhūb di tsēs ge go ǀgūtoa;
tsēs hîkākās dis,
Hoaǀgaixaba xu nî hāsa.
16 ǂÛna sida mûdi aiǃâ ǃgaoǁnâhe taman hâ,
ǃgâiaǂgaob tsî dâb tsîkha sida Elob omma xu?
17 ǃKhomn ge ǂnâsa ǃhūb ǃnaka ǁōǁgoe.
Sâuǃnâ-omgu ge hîkākāsase ǁgoe;
sâuǃnâ-omgu ge khôaǁnâhe hâ,
ǃhorob ǂnâ hâ xui-ao.
18 Goman ge ǀkhomǀkhomsase ra ā;
goman ge mâǀîn garusa ǀūse ra kāma,
ǃû-ai-en ūhâ tama xui-ao.
ǀUiǀnūǀgoan tsîn ge ra tsâ.
19 ǃKhūtse sats ǃoa ta ge ra ǂgai,
ǀaes ge ǃû-aide hapu hâ,
ǀaeǁhabub ge ǃaub di haidi hoade khauǃkhū hâ.
20 ǃAub di ǀgurun tsî xamarin
tsîn ge sats ǃoa ra ǂgai,
ǃārogu ǂnâ hâ tsî ǀaes ǃû-aide hapu hâ xui-ao.
